Difference Between List And Tuple

Difference Between List And Tuple

Published on October 01 2023

In this tutorial, we will learn what is the difference between a list and a tuple in Python and understand each in detail. This tutorial is part of Python's top 25 most commonly asked interview questions.

List vs Tuple

LIST

TUPLE

Lists are mutable, i.e., they can be edited.

Tuples are immutable (they are lists that cannot be edited - remain constant).

Lists are slower than tuples.

Tuples are faster than lists.
Lists consume a lot of memory.

Tuples consume less memory when compared to lists.

It cannot be used as a key in a dictionary.

Can be used as a dictionary key.

Lists are less reliable in terms of errors as unexpected changes are more likely to occur.

Tuples are more reliable as it is hard for any unexpected change to occur.

Syntax: data_list = [1, ‘The Programming Portal’, 'India', 9999]

Syntax: data_tup = (1, ‘The Programming Portal’, 'India', 9999)

 

Why is tuple faster?

  • Tuple is stored in a single block of memory whereas List is stored in two blocks of memory.
  • One is fixed sized with all the Python object information and the other is variable sized for storing data.
  • Tuples are immutable, It doesn't require extra space to store new objects.

To know about it, please refer to the official documentation website - official website.